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The Path to Victory for Southern Autoworkers

Autoworkers at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama have been organizing to win their union. Today they met with UAW President Shawn Fain and Region 8 Director Tim Smith to talk about their path to victory. Here are remarks that President Fain shared with them:

Good afternoon, Union Family.

It’s my honor to be here, to be with so many badass, fed up autoworkers who are ready to stand up.

Today I’m here to talk about the path to victory. It’s a powerful idea. The path to victory. Because first things first — there is a path.

 
Before we can even talk about what we need to do to get what we deserve, we have to acknowledge one thing. Working class people, like all of you here today, have the power to change the world. You have the power to change your circumstances. You have the power to take back your time. To take back your life. To win real time off the job. A fair wage. Good healthcare you can afford. A better life for your family. For all of Alabama.

The first thing you need to do to win is to believe that you can win. That this job can be better. That your life can be better. And that those things are worth fighting for. That is why we stand up. That’s why you’re here today. Because deep down, you believe it’s possible.

There is a path. But here’s the other thing about the path to victory. It’s only a path. You have to walk it. Nobody can walk it for you. I didn’t come down here to tell you what all I’m going to do for you as the President of the UAW. That’s not what this is about. Everything you win in this fight will be because you won it.

You are in spitting distance of a life-changing victory. That’s because all of you are coming together with your coworkers to do the work of organizing your workplace. And the company knows it too. That’s why Mercedes is pulling out every trick in the book to instill fear, uncertainty, and division. To scare people off of standing up for a better life.

I’ve been meeting with UAW staff and with some of you. And what’s clear to me is we are doing things differently this time. This time, we are going to make sure we have leaders on each line, on each shift, talking to each other about building their union. That is the path to victory.

And it’s not just about the vote. True victory is not just winning a vote. We want to win big on the day of the election – but we also need to build that organizing muscle, that unity, and that determination to win big in a union contract. That’s what changes lives. That’s what this is all about.

But you have to walk that path to victory. You have to say – I’m ready to talk to my coworkers. I’m ready to have my name be public on a vote yes petition. I’m ready to go to work every day and proudly wear my UAW hat for everyone to see. I’m ready to stand up, strong and loud, and proud about this fight. I can’t win that for you. Our staff can’t win that for you. Only you can walk that path to victory.

Let me be clear, that doesn’t mean you’re walking alone. Our staff, our union, and hundreds of thousands of UAW members are behind you. Across this country, there are working-class people looking to you. For inspiration. For hope. And we’ve all got your back.

I opened these remarks with “union family,” because we are a family. But here in Alabama, it hits close to home. Many of you may not know this but my family’s roots are in the South. I have family from Alabama. And three of my grandparents were from Tennessee, one from Kentucky, and after the Great Depression, all of my grandparents had to move north. And they were blessed to hire in at GM and Chrysler in the early days of the UAW. They stood up for themselves and went and got a better life.

But the real meaning of union is not having to leave for greener pastures. Not having to leave your family and your life behind just to be able to live. The real meaning of union is fighting for a better life where you are. Because it’s your job. It’s your body. It’s your time. It’s your family. It’s your community.

I look around here and I see a lot of people who remind me of myself and my roots. I know struggle. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck. I’ve been on unemployment. I’ve received government aid to get formula and diapers for my firstborn child.


Joining the union, the UAW, changed my life. It gave me a wage I could raise a family on. It gave me a job I could rely on. And it gave me hope for the future. So, I put everything I had into building this union. I walked that path. I know what it’s like to be out there at the gates, trying to get your coworkers organized. I know what it’s like to have to fight the company tooth and nail just to have a little dignity on the job. And I know if I didn’t do it, if regular autoworkers like me and you don’t stand up, nothing’s going to change. So, do it for yourself. Do it for your family. And we’ll have your back every step of the way.

You’re so close to the finish line. Some people get within inches of their goal and quit before they realize that if they’d have given one more push they would have reached it.

 
 My running for president of the UAW was very similar. If I hadn’t relied on faith and faced fear and doubt and took on the insurmountable odds of running for president of the UAW, nothing would have changed.

 
People said I was crazy for running for President. Some who were previously in power tried to make the members afraid to vote for change. But the members took a leap of faith and voted for new leaders and look what we are accomplishing.

Our Big Three contract campaign was the same. People said we were crazy for going for the things we did. Companies said they couldn’t afford it. Companies made threats. The media said we were crazy.

But guess what? We focused on facts in our Big 3 campaign and strike. The fact that the companies made a quarter of a trillion dollars in a decade. The fact that CEO pay went up 40% over the previous 4 years. And the fact that workers were being left behind, although the workers generate those massive profits through their labor. 75% of Americans sided with us in that fight. Using the power of facts and a unified membership.

We won a record contract and the companies still paid out massive stock dividends to investors. CEOs are still giving themselves massive raises, and business is fine.

It’s the same here in Alabama.

Facts: The German three made double what the Big Three made in the last decade. A half a trillion. $460 billion. Mercedes’s CEO got an 80% raise last year. The eight managers on the Mercedes management board got a collective $27 million raise last year. The average Mercedes executive makes $3,600 an hour. It would take a Mercedes production worker at the top rate two years to make what a Mercedes executive earns in one week.

The company, the Governor, and the Business Council are trying to make you afraid to stand up, because you are so close to realizing a life many thought wasn’t possible. Mercedes is using fear, uncertainty, and division because they are afraid.

Mercedes is afraid of you having a voice in your work life. Mercedes is afraid of sharing any control over your work lives. Mercedes is afraid of paying you the wages and benefits you deserve for the massive profits your work, your sacrifice, your blood, and your sweat create. You are an at-will employee, you have no rights, and management has all the control. It’s time to change that.

Years ago, my grandparents had to leave Tennessee to live the American Dream. You don’t have to leave. You can achieve it right here in Alabama.

The first thing I do when I get up every day, daily reading and pray. Recently, I thought of you when I read my daily reading, Hebrews 11:1, “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.”

The only people who can organize the South are the workers in the South. And those workers who stand up are forever going to go down in history for doing what so many people said was impossible. Why not you? Why not here?

I said during our campaign at the Big Three that this is our generation’s defining moment. That faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, and we moved mountains.

Now, here in Alabama, we have another mountain to move. This is your defining moment to change your lives. To change America. And to change the world for the better. So, let’s walk down that path to victory together in Solidarity and let’s finish the job.

So, I came here not to win this thing for you. Not to tell you what to do. I came here to find out for myself the answer to one question. Are you ready to Stand Up? I believe you are, and I believe in you.

If you’re ready, the time is now. This is your defining moment. If we have public supporters in every department, on every line, on every shift, Mercedes workers will be guaranteed to win your election. Raise your hand if you can commit to being that person for your line.

Before you leave today, put your name on the public petition and join your coworkers on the path to victory. We will not let the company divide us. That’s how they win. Solidarity is our strength. That’s how we win.

This isn’t about power, It’s about control. Without a Union contract, they have all the control. You have the power. You just have to recognize it and use it. Let’s finish the job that started so long ago. Let’s walk a new path for working-class people together in solidarity.

Thank you.


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Warehouse Employees at DP World Vote to Join UAW with Supermajority Support

Trenton, Michigan — The forklift operators and material handlers at Syncreon/DP World voted by a supermajority on Wednesday, March 13, to become the newest members of UAW Local 372 in UAW Region 1A. The 110 warehouse employees of DP World ship automotive parts all over the world out of the Trenton Engine North Plant in Trenton, Michigan.

“With a union, we will become a stronger workforce. We’ll have a stronger culture, better working conditions and workplace,” said Byron Cannon, a second shift forklift operator.

“Organizing a union helps us with being heard and making the best decisions for us,” said Jazmine Williams, a material handler. “We need better pay, more vacation days and mental health days. We all need to take a stand together as one and make everything count.”

“We would like to welcome our new brothers and sisters from Syncreon/DP World to the UAW and Local 372,” said UAW Local 372 President Dave Gerbi. “This was not an easy battle, but you prevailed and did not listen to management’s anti-union rhetoric. Your voice was heard when you voted YES FOR UNION, and now you will have a voice and seat at the table to negotiate a fair contract for all workers. Congratulations again, and we look forward to standing side by side with you!”

“This is a true testament of solidarity,” said Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson. “These members were part of an existing Stellantis plant that used to house 700 members who were laid off. The organizers of Region 1A and leadership of Local 372 started this campaign and didn’t stop until they prevailed. This is a great day for the Local and our Region. The members wanted a voice and they got it. I welcome all of our new members to Region 1A.”

These Syncreon/DP World workers are the latest workers in a growing movement of unorganized workers standing up to join the UAW for a better life.

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UAW Statement on the EPA’s New Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rule

The UAW has a strong commitment to protecting the environment and fully supports efforts to create a cleaner domestic auto industry. The climate crisis has taken a heavy toll on working people, who have had to endure the consequences of corporate America’s decisions to put profits before a clean environment and a fair economy. That needs to change. The UAW is proudly leading the fight for a just transition so the shift to electric vehicles truly benefits workers and the environment, not just the auto industry and Wall Street.   

The EPA has made significant progress on its final greenhouse gas emissions rule for light-duty vehicles. By taking seriously the concerns of workers and communities, the EPA has created a more feasible emissions rule that protects workers building ICE vehicles, while providing a path forward for automakers to implement the full range of automotive technologies to reduce emissions. This rule does not require Ford, General Motors, Stellantis or any other domestic automaker to do anything beyond the commitments they’ve made to shareholders to capitalize on the growing EV market. We reject the fearmongering that says tackling the climate crisis must come at the cost of union jobs. Ambitious and achievable regulations can support both. We call on the Biden Administration to hold automakers accountable so that this rule is not used as an excuse to cut or offshore jobs.  

The billionaire class and their allies in government expect workers to bear the brunt of the crisis. When it comes to the EV transition, corporations see an opportunity to collect taxpayer subsidies, increase profits, lower job quality and leave workers behind. Reaching our climate goals requires massive public investments. Government subsidies must create quality union jobs by including strong labor standards that require employers to meet or exceed industry standards, protect workers’ right to organize, and invest in communities impacted by the transition.    

This moment calls for a whole of government approach to ensure the next generation of vehicles are made in the United States and the auto industry supports quality union jobs for American workers. This transition should be a clear victory for working people, not another reason to look over our shoulder, wondering when our plants will close or our jobs will be cut. From trade policy to new legislation to environmental regulation to clean energy implementation, all policies must point in the same direction toward a just transition for autoworkers.   

The transition to cleaner technologies cannot be used to intensify the global race to the bottom through offshoring and low wages. We need to see movement by the administration to protect these jobs. The nascent EV industry needs tariff protections – otherwise we are going to be awash in imports.  The stakes of the transition are high for American workers. We will continue to work with the Administration and fight to get these policies right for American autoworkers.   

UAW members are doing our part by fighting for and winning important Just Transition provisions through bargaining and organizing at new EV and battery plants across the country. UAW members at the Big Three used their power to win critical investment commitments, job security provisions, and job quality standards to ensure workers are not left behind in the transition to cleaner vehicles. And just this week, over 4,000 workers building ICEVs and BEVs at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tenn., announced they are standing up and filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to join the UAW. But UAW members should not have to shoulder the burden of a just transition on our own. We need policymakers who will support these efforts, from the halls of Congress to the picket line.  

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Volkswagen Workers File for Union Election to Join UAW

Chattanooga, TN – Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to join the UAW, after a supermajority of Volkswagen workers have signed union cards in just 100 days.

In a new video, Volkswagen workers speak out on why they’re voting yes to join the UAW.

“Today, we are one step closer to making a good job at Volkswagen into a great career,” said Isaac Meadows, a production team member in assembly. “Right now, we miss time with our families because so much of our paid-time-off is burned up during the summer and winter shutdowns. We shouldn’t have to choose between our family and our job. By winning our union and a real voice at Volkswagen, we can negotiate for more time with our families.”

“We are voting yes for our union because we want Volkswagen to be successful,” said Victor Vaughn, a logistics team member at VW. “Volkswagen has spent billions of dollars expanding in Chattanooga, but right now safety is a major issue in our plant. Just the other day, I was almost hit by four 500-plus pound crates while I was driving to deliver parts. That incident should’ve been followed up within the hour, but even after I clocked out no one asked me about it. VW has partnered with unionized workforces around the world to make their plants safe and successful. That’s why we’re voting for a voice at Volkswagen here in Chattanooga.”

“I come from a UAW family, so I’ve seen how having our union enables us to make life better on the job and off,” said Yolanda Peoples, a production team member in assembly. “We are a positive force in the plant. When we win our union, we’ll be able to bargain for a safer workplace, so people can stay on the job and the company can benefit from our experience. When my father retired as a UAW member, he had something to fall back on. VW workers deserve the same.”

The milestone marks the first non-union auto plant to file for a union election among the dozens of auto plants where workers have been organizing in recent months. The grassroots effort sprang up in the wake of the record victories for Big Three autoworkers in the UAW’s historic Stand Up Strike win.

The Chattanooga plant is Volkswagen’s only U.S. assembly plant and employs over 4,000 autoworkers. It is the only Volkswagen plant globally with no form of employee representation.

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UAW President Fain Testifies at U.S. Senate HELP Committee Hearing on a 32-Hour Workweek

Statement by UAW President Shawn Fain before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for a hearing on Workers Should Benefit from New Technology and Increased Productivity: The Need for a 32-Hour Work Week with No Loss in Pay.


President Fain’s full remarks:

Good morning, Chairman Sanders, Dr. Cassidy, and members of the Committee.


I’m here to talk about one of the most important issues to any union leader and any working-class person, any US senator, and any human being: our time.

As president of the United Auto Workers, I represent four hundred thousand working-class people and six hundred thousand retirees. I know when my members look back on their lives, they never say, “I wish I would have worked more.” When people reach the end of their lives, they never say, “I wish I made more money.” What they wish for is they wish they had more time.

That’s what work does. We are paid for our time, and when we work, we are sacrificing time with other people, with family and friends, and time for other things we wish to do. But time, just like every precious resource in our society, is not freely given to the working class.

Since the industrial revolution, we’ve seen productivity in our society skyrocket. With the advance of technology, one worker is now doing what twelve workers used to do. More profit is being squeezed out of every hour, every minute, and every second.

There was a time when this phenomenon was supposed to lead to workers getting their time back — getting some of their lives back. Nearly a hundred years ago, economist John Maynard Keynes spoke of the future of workers’ time. His worry was that, with all the gains in productivity, we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves. He predicted a fifteen-hour workweek.

In my own union, I go back into our archives and I read about the fight for the thirty-hour workweek, an idea that was alive and well with our union back in the 1930s and ’40s. But today, deep in the twenty-first century, we find these ideas unimaginable.

Instead, we find workers working longer hours. We have workers working seven days a week, twelve hours a day. There are workers, union or not, working multiple jobs, and they’re living to work, they’re scraping to get by, and they’re living paycheck to paycheck. We find workers today working deep into their sixties, seventies, and eighties because they can’t afford to retire.

We find associated deaths of despair, from addiction and suicide, of people who don’t feel a life of endless, hopeless work is a life worth living. Workers have been sacrificed at the altar of greed, and they’ve been stripped of their dignity.

We have a mental health crisis we talk about a lot in this country. But we never talk about the causes of that. There have been studies: increases in stress from working seven days a week, twelve hours a day — you’re sacrificing family life and things you want to pursue — it causes increases in cortisol levels, which leads to heart disease, cancer, strokes.

Given all those facts, if someone is lucky enough to retire — typically after they’ve worked themselves to death their entire life — they face knee replacements, shoulder surgeries, and spend the rest of their lives figuring out how they’re going to survive.

It’s sad to say that in 1933, the US Senate passed legislation to establish the thirty-hour workweek, but due to intense corporate opposition, that legislation failed. But in 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act establishing a forty-hour workweek — eighty-four years ago. Eighty-four years ago, the forty-hour week was established. Since then, we’ve had a 400 percent increase in productivity, but nothing’s changed.

That was why, in our Big Three campaign and our stand-up strike, we raised the flag for a thirty-two-hour workweek. This isn’t just a union issue, contrary to what some people want to talk about. This is a working-class issue. That’s why 75 percent of Americans stood with us in our contract fight. Because they’re all living the same reality.

Who’s going to act to fix this epidemic of lives dominated by work? Are the employers going to act? Will Congress act? How can working-class people take back their lives and take back their time?

I know what people, and many in this room, will say. They’ll say, “People just don’t want to work,” or “Working-class people are lazy.” But the truth is, working-class people aren’t lazy. They’re fed up.

They’re fed up with being left behind and stripped of dignity as wealth inequality in this nation and this world spirals out of control. They’re fed up that three families in the United States have as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent of citizens in this country. That is criminal. America is better than this.

I agree there is an epidemic in this country of people who don’t want to work. People who can’t be bothered to get up every day and contribute to our society, but instead want to freeload off the labor of others. But those aren’t blue-collar people; those aren’t working-class people.

It’s a group of people who are never talked about for how little they actually work and produce, and how little they contribute to humanity. The people I’m talking about are the Wall Street freeloaders, the masters of passive income. Those who profit off the labor of others have all the time in the world, while those who make this country run — the people who build the products and contribute the labor — have less and less time for themselves, for their families, for their lives.

Our union is going to continue to fight for the right of working-class people to take back their lives and take back their time. We ask you to stand up with the American workers and support us in that mission.

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Saving Butler: UAW Members Fight for the Future of a Pennsylvania Steel Town

Workers at the Cleveland Cliffs Butler Works steel mill in Butler, PA, are speaking out about a proposed Department of Energy rule that threatens good union jobs at the mill.

In a new video, UAW Local 3303 members describe the fight to save jobs for the 1,100 workers at the plant who produce grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) used for electric vehicles and EV chargers.

The video, “Saving Butler,” can be accessed here, and the media is invited to use the footage. “My grandfather worked at the plant, as did my father, and many, many families throughout our community,” said UAW Local 3303 President Jamie Sychak. “It’s generational.”

“This plant is the very heart and soul of this community,” says Steven Gilliland. “This is one of the biggest employers and certainly one of the best-paying employers around here. This is a good-quality union job.”

The proposed regulation would lower demand for grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES), threatening job loss at the Butler Works. 

A bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown was introduced in January that would freeze the implementation of the DOE’s proposed rule.

“A strong domestic supply of transformers is crucial to our electric grid and our energy independence,” said Brown. “We need to meet increasing demand for transformers, while keeping this critical supply chain in the U.S. and making sure the Department of Energy gets it right.”

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Nearly 7,000 UAW Members at Daimler Truck Vote to Authorize Strike, If Necessary

On Friday, March 8th, 7,000 Daimler Truck North America workers voted by a resounding 96% to authorize a strike if necessary. The contract covers 7,000 parts and assembly workers in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, and expires on April 26th.

The workers who build Freightliner trucks, Western Star trucks, and Thomas Built Buses are facing declining real wages and job security against a backdrop of rising cost of living and massive profits and shareholder payouts by Daimler Truck.

In a video released by the UAW last week, Daimler workers spoke out on the declining standards at the company that have led to their willingness to stand up and fight for better wages, benefits, and job security.

Daimler amassed nearly $6 billion in 2023. In addition, the company plans to spend billions of dollars on stock buybacks over the next two years while lavishing millions of dollars on its shareholders. In a recent interview, Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum boasted that the company’s profits are “red hot” and claimed that any “leftover money certainly belongs” to the company’s stockholders. Daum received over $7.5 million in total compensation last year alone.

Daimler workers are the latest UAW members standing up to corporate greed. Thousands of UAW members have won record contracts in the last year, including autoworkers at the Big Three automakers, and Allison Transmission workers in Indianapolis, IN.

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A Message from Laura Dickerson, TOP Department/Region 1A Director

As the first African American woman in the history of the UAW to be elected to the International Executive Board, I come before you with immense gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility.

My journey to this historic achievement has been guided by the wisdom and support of incredible mentors like Liz Jackson, Dottie Jones, and Eunice Stokes. Their unwavering belief in me and their commitment to lifting as they climbed have shaped my path and instilled in me the importance of paying it forward.

Today, as I reflect on my journey, I am humbled. Deeply humbled to be surrounded by incredible women who are making a difference in Michigan and across America. Together, we possess the power to lead and affect change in every sector we engage in. But let us never forget that our successes are built upon the foundation laid by those who came before us. It is our duty to honor their legacies by extending a hand to lift others as we continue to climb higher.

In recent years, we have seen a notable increase in women assuming leadership positions. In Michigan we elected women to the positions of Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State. These women serve as shining examples of what can be achieved when barriers are broken, and progress is fostered.

However, our work is far from finished. We must persist in sharing information, encouraging one another, and empowering our fellow sisters. Women from all walks of life recognize that an uneven playing field will never yield equality or justice. It falls upon us to raise our voices and double down on our efforts to promote fairness in our institution as well as others that we belong to.

I urge each of you to engage with your local standing committees, participate in women’s organizations supported by this International Union, and become politically active. Remember, a woman’s place is in her union, advocating for the rights and well-being of all workers. I encourage to find your seat at the table.

Together, let us continue to drive progress, champion equality, and stand in solidarity with one another on the journey towards a more just and equitable future.

In solidarity,
Laura Dickerson
TOP Department Director,
Region 1A Director

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“We Keep Toyota Running”: Workers at Critical Toyota Plant Launch Campaign to Join the UAW

TROY, Mo. – Workers at a critical Toyota plant in Troy, Missouri have launched their public campaign to join the UAW after more than 30% signed union authorization cards. It is the first Toyota plant and the fourth non-union plant nationwide where workers have gone public with their campaign to win their union.

In a new video, “We Keep Toyota Running,” workers at the plant — which makes the cylinder heads for every Toyota engine made in North America — describe the toll of the work on their bodies.

The video announcing the campaign can be accessed here, and the media is invited to use the footage. More information on the campaign is available at uaw.org/toyota-tmmmo.

Dawn Ellis, a worker featured in the video, tore her rotator cuff on the job, a common injury at the plant. She had surgery on a Friday and, in a common practice at the plant, was ordered to report to work the following Monday. In a separate injury, Ellis suffered a fractured skull and has struggled with migraine headaches ever since.

“The plant is not safe,” said Jaye Hochuli, a team leader at the plant. “They had me crawl under a deck to clean out the sand and silica dust and chemicals that come out of the machines. It was a confined space. I should’ve been in a respirator and a hazmat suit. All they gave me was a KN-95 mask. I came home and that dust was in my hair, on my clothes, in my underwear. How can the richest car company in the world not follow basic safety practices? We’re organizing to fix what’s wrong and win the protection we need.”

Wages at the plant are far below the rate that UAW members make in equivalent Big Three facilities. Even after Toyota increased pay in response to last year’s record UAW contracts – the “UAW Bump” — production workers in Troy make over $4 an hour less than their UAW counterparts.

“Seeing the new contracts with the Big Three, that’s when I realized we needed a union,” said Charles Lashley, a team member in support. “It was incredible that UAW members could bargain for those benefits and that pay. I don’t see why we should be paid differently. Toyota makes more money than all the Big Three. So, there’s no reason why we should be so far behind. The company can’t run without us. We should get paid like it. We can by organizing our union.”

“When I was hired two and a half years ago, I came in with 24 people. I’m the last one left,” said Jessica Clay a team member in die changes. “The overtime we worked was too much. Overtime now isn’t the problem it was, but there’s still no sick time. We still have to use PTO [paid time off] during shutdowns. I came from Ford; I came from UAW. The union was a better fit for your life. In our union, we have more control. We have a better life.”

“The company has a slogan they like to use: One Toyota,” said Jarred Wehde, a production team member. “We’ve got the Toyota sign out front, just like they do in Kentucky and Indiana. But our pay is nowhere near what theirs is. We know what the company makes. We know they can afford to pay us. By organizing our union, we can win our fair share.”

The announcement marks the latest major breakthrough in the national movement of non-union autoworkers organizing to join the UAW in the wake of the historic Stand Up Strike victory at the Big Three auto companies. Over 10,000 non-union autoworkers have signed union cards in recent months, with public campaigns launched at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Mercedes in Vance, Alabama, and Hyundai in Montgomery, Alabama, while workers at over two dozen other facilities continue to organize.

For more information, visit uaw.org/join.

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Academic Student Workers at The New School Set March 6 Strike Deadline

New York, NY – After more than six months of bargaining their successor contract, teaching fellows, teaching assistants, course assistants, research assistants, and tutors at The New School, represented by United Auto Workers (UAW), will go on strike this coming Wednesday. Having authorized their strike with 94% voting yes, and a historic 77% of members participating, academic student workers have a powerful mandate for its work stoppage. For over half a year the workers have bargained continuously and in good faith with The New School. The university, meanwhile, has dragged its feet, and offered insulting poverty wages in a time of skyrocketing inflation. The strike will proceed unless the university comes back to the table before March 6 with an acceptable offer.

Less than one year after their professors walked off the job for 25 days, academic student workers began negotiating the terms of their new union contract. The workers are asking for higher wages and improved health care, alongside workplace and standard of living reforms like access to a childcare fund and better support for international students. Unlike many graduate students in the U.S., most at The New School pay tuition and do not receive stipends. The average academic student worker makes about 11K per year, and none make more than 24K. This is a special hardship for international students who are restricted from most forms of off-campus work. Academic student workers do not earn a New York City living wage and none make enough to afford even a shared apartment within a 90-minute commute from campus. To be an academic student worker at The New School is to be in a state of near constant financial anxiety.

Union members regularly report delays in pay and disbursement of stipends due to bureaucratic mismanagement by the university, which has left several members scrambling to figure out how to pay for basic necessities like housing and transportation. Workers have been forced to draw down from savings or rely upon the goodwill of friends, with little to no clarity from the university on when these issues will be resolved.

These experiences are not exclusive to research assistants. Non-academic student workers in a range of campus locations including dorms, libraries, wood and metal shops, admissions offices, Human Resources, Information Technology, and more are prepared to walk off the job with their colleagues. The predominantly undergraduate workforce is awaiting a ruling from the National Labor Relations Board about their ability to form a wall-to-wall student worker union with the striking academic student workers.

Academic student workers are 6.5% of the total workforce at The New School. They are asking for a compensation and health care package that would be worth less than 1% of the university’s operating budget. The university’s last insulting compensation offer for the over 500 workers, which wouldn’t even begin to address their financial hardship, is for less than what New School executives made in bonuses alone in 2022. While academic student workers experience both housing and food insecurity, New School executive salaries continue to bloat, with pay packages, including bonuses, on par with those at far wealthier Ivy League institutions. Perpetually strapped for cash, The New School still spends big on executive salaries by keeping its labor force—the workers that actually keep the school going—in abject poverty.

At a university founded on progressive values, and once a sanctuary to scholars fleeing the spread of fascism in Europe, the union believes that The New School can do better not just for its academic student workers, but for its workforce and student population as a whole. Academic student workers are merely picking up where their professors left off. Barring an acceptable offer from the university, the workers will strike for higher wages and for the betterment of the university community as a whole.


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About ACT-UAW 7902: Founded in 2002, ACT-UAW Local 7902 represents over 5,000 part-time and adjunct teachers, student educators, and healthcare workers. It consists of four units: the NYU Adjuncts, New School part-time faculty, student employees at The New School, and New School student health service employees.

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